@Karnerblue wrote:
@Sammycat1 wrote:
Karnerblue, I understand completely...I've had to take care of dogs and cats with terminal illnesses, one with heart failure who I was told could die at the drop of a hat. Your heart and mind play tug of war with each other at a time like this, but you'd be surprised how strong you can be when you keep your focus on Buddy and how he's always put his trust in you to do right by him. And you always have, or he wouldn't have had so many years with you already! Trust your gut and your knowledge of him...and notify your vet of any reactions to meds or anything else that doesn't feel right. You can do it...and we are all here with you.
Thanks Sammycat. I'm so glad someone understands. Tug of war is right. I'm going to need lots of help. I feel so alone at times. Friends are either "it's just the way things are" and are not really compassionate or helpful, or they just want to talk about their pets and they go on and on and on. It's hard to focus on work and other things right now.
How special a person you must be to deal with sick animals. You seem to have a very kind, nurturing way about you.
Thanks for being you!
Karnerblue, thanks for your kind words, but I've been just a pet mom like you. When your furry one hits more than a bad-health bump in the road, it can hard for others (even those with pets) to understand.
Sometimes people are uncomfortable with strong emotions in others, like the sorrow that comes with knowing you'll lose your pet sooner than you hoped; they turn away from it, thinking, if I ignore my friend's anguish, the talk will go away. And everyone has a different relationship with their pets, too, which can seem like indifference when your pet means the world to you.
And then there's the knowledge you have -- that the years you thought were stretching out before you well into the future with your pet won't be stretching so far because they're sick, that you realize you don't have the kind of time you thought you had ... and you want to cry to others that you're already mourning a future you won't share with your pet, and how much that cuts your heart in half. Some can't understand this "anticipatory grief," and they change the subject because they don't know to console you.
But then there are those like so many posters on this forum who understand how raw your hurt is right now, how you ache to snap your fingers and make the health nightmare for Buddy go away. They get it. And they're generous with their time, their ability to listen, their soft words and their prayers -- because they know the covenant you made with your pup: that he'd love you forever and that you'd love him and take care of him forever. And you will, I can tell by the way you speak of this: because that love is stronger than any loneliness or weariness you'll feel on this journey.
In the meantime, take the best care you can of yourself even as you take care of Buddy. He's counting on you.